Box, method and machine



Feb. 22, 1966 A. B. TADDEAU 3,236,159

BOX, METHOD AND MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 21, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. A/YDKEW 5. 740054 U ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 A. B. TADDEAU 3,236,159

BOX, METHOD AND MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 21, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ANDREW B. DIODE/1 U Feb. 22, 1966 TADDEAU 3,236,159

BOX, METHOD AND MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 21, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ff 7 7 INVENTOR.

A/YDEEW 5. 7140015710 BY j TTOB/YFV United States Patent 3,236,159 X, METHOD AND MACHINE Andrew B. Taddeau, Columbus, Ga, assignor to Rock City Box Sales Company, Norcross, Ga, a corporation of Georgia Original application Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,882.

Divided and this application Jan. 29, 1965, Ser. No.

12 Claims. (Cl. 93-36) This application is a divisional application from my application Serial No. 252,882, filed I anuary 21, 1963.

This invention relates to a box, a method, and a machine. It includes the box-blank from which the box is folded. Boxes of the sort contemplated in this disclosure are used in various commercial establishments and are usually furnished to the customer partially folded arranged in stacks in a substantially flat condition to be readily folded into a three-dimensional full-fold position for receiving goods such as shirts or the like therein. The flat, stacked boxes facilitate shipping, storage and handling.

Shirt manufacturers, commercial laundries and the like package several shirts in a box which for shipping convenience is shipped almost flat. From the standpoint of handling and filling the boxes should be easily opened and readily folded into permanent condition to receive the shirts or other merchandise. Obviously, this presents somewhat of a problem since the economy of box manufacturing requires most boxes of this price range to be manufactured by stamping from a flat blank which requires the use of tabs that must be glued, stapled or otherwise secured to complete the box. Gluing presents various problems such as the messy handling of the glue itself, loss of glue due to waste or spoilage, and the time involved in allowing the glue to set to minimum strength. Stapling also presents problems such as positioning the tabs to receive the staples and also the unwanted appearance of the stapled box after completion. The desirable thing is to produce a box of this sort of a substantially economical and inexpensive manufacture, since it is used only a short time, and to forward it flat-stacked to the consumer as nearly completed as possible and arranged so that the consumer can readily open and complete the box to receive the merchandise.

The box of the present invention is manufactured by stamping or cutting from a large continuous sheet of material and comprises identical corner tabs each slit inwardly toward the center of the box to separate it from a perspective long side and each tab having a perforated or other diagonal fold line thereon. Inner fold lines define the sides and ends of the box and the continuation of the longitudinal inner fold line defines the fold of the corner tabs. At the box plant the corner tabs are folded with the entire ends of the box upon the box itself and the outer, triangular portion of each tab is secured as by gluing at the box plant to the respective area beneath it on the longitudinal side. At this point the box is still substantially flat having only a slight bulge in thickness caused by the overlapping plies of the ends of the box and tabs being folded upon the sides and bottom of the box. Then the top surfaces of the exposed tabs of the box receive those adhesives which are known as self-sticking adhesives which are applied and allowed to dry and which will adhere to each other through the use of heat and/or pressure. The box is delivered to the customer in this condition with the self-sticking adhesive in a dry, inoffensive condition. A stack of such boxes may be shipped in a large bundle and may be removed for service and use by removing same with two hands from the top of the stack, folding 3,236,159 Patented F eb. 22, 1966 the ends of the flat box outwardly and upwardly by grasping same with the finger and at the same time this motion pulls the sides of the box upwardly away from the bottom of the box and causes the entire box to assume a three-dimensional shape. Such action just described causes the two triangular portions of the top of the corner tabs (keeping in mind that the underside of one of the triangular portions was previously attached at the factory as by gluing or otherwise) to come into overlapping juxtaposition with each other and the application of heat and/or pressure by pressing with the hands or using a pair of blocks or clamping means will cause the box to remain in a permanent, upright and threedimensional shape.

The method employed in the present invention is included and described and is disclosed from reading the previous paragraph in connection with the box article itself and the method of making the box and causing it to assume its ultimate three-dimensional shape.

The present disclosure also presents the novel and useful machine which may be used to expedite and assist and to facilitate the speed and accuracy of setting up boxes disclosed in this specification. The machine comprises the base which may be a table or work support surface on which is mounted four pairs of clamping jaws each consisting of a fixed but adjustable jaw plate 'of verticle disposition having a matching vertical movable jaw in close proximity thereto forming a channel or slot therebetween. The jaws preferably in the present arrangement are mounted in slots formed in the steel surface of the tab-1e and each being provided with pressure screw clamping and tightening means whereby adjustment may be facilitated. Each of the movable jaws is provided with the piston portion of a fluid cylinder such as an air cylinder mounted on a support block attached to the work surface. Air or fluid lines leading from each of the four fluid or air cylinders lead to a common control source and air supply means provided on the table. An air compressor, fluid pump or central fluid or air pressure in a plant, provides the necessary pressure to operate the individual air cylinders which are substantially synchronized through the use of a common control media. In the operation of this machine, the box which has been described previously is removed from a stack of boxes by hand and inverted or turned over to place the folded but yet unsealed box with the overlapping portions of the self-sticking adhesive facing each other and the corners are placed between the spaces defined by each of the pairs of fixed jaws and movable jaws and the box is allowed to drop down onto the fixed jaws, being aligned and held in place by the bottom of the box resting on the top edges of the fixed jaws and the sides of the box sliding along the vertical surfaces thereof.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a box blank which readily may be partially folded and glued in place to receive a self-sticking adhesive for further folding and securing into a completed three-dimensional box.

An advantage of the present box arrangement is that it may be readily and inexpensively partially folded at the factory and shipped substantially in flat condition in bundles for easy completion through the use of a self-sticking adhesive.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a box blank having corner tabs thereon which may be coated with a self-sticking adhesive to be pressure and/or heat sealed in place by the consumer.

Another object of the present box blank may be found in the use of corner tabs having diagonal fold lines thereon which may be secured on the underside to partially fold the box but to so secure the box elements together as to make it readily possible to complete the folding without the necessity of aligning or figuring with respect to the portions of the box.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for constructing and folding a box whereby the final folding is accomplished through the use of a selfsticking adhesive on the four corners of the box.

Still another object of this invention resides in the particular machine employing quick setting jaws which complete the self-sticking of the corners of a box made in accordance with the previous method and article.

A further object of the machine resides in the use of adjustable sets of jaws whereby the space therebetween may be varied according to the size of the box and whereby minor problems may be adjusted with a minimum of difiiculty. I

Other and further objects-and advantages of my invention will be apparent from astudy of the specification herein taken in conjunction with the acdo'mpanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a manufactured box blank according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the box blank shown in FIG. 1 with the ends thereof folded into place upon the bottom and sides of the box and the end tabs secured partially to the respective portions of the sides of the box.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section View ,of the partly folded box blank and-taken along lines 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view looking into the inside of the box blank partially folded bylifting the ends of the box from the position shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 isa perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 4 inverted or turned 'over for insertion on the machine of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to the one shown in FIG. 5 and with the angle of viewing changed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the machine shown in FIG. 6 with the partially completed box released and seated thereon to be quickly sealed by the machine.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the machine shown in FIG. 7 with the quick-operating jaws snapped into place to pressure seal the self-sticking box and also showing the support portion of the machine.

Referring initially to FIG. 1 and then as the description develops onto the subsequent figures of the drawings and from time to time to one figure or another, the box is designated by the reference character 10 and comprises a flat box blank 12 manufactured bydie cutting or otherwise from a continuous sheet of cardboard or similar material to have a bottom portion 14, identical four-corner fold and attaching tabs 16, which are slit along the inside edge inwardly toward the bottom 14 to define the longitudinal sides '18 of the box blank and also to assist in defining the ends 20 thereof.

Fold lines 22 are scored onto the box blank to define the fold lines of the respective ends20 with respect to the bottom 14 and similar fold lines 24 are scored longitudinally along the box and along the bottom 14 to define the sides 18. A continuation of the fold lines 24 along the respective tabs 16 forms the fold line for each of the respective tabs 16.

Each respective tab 16 is separated from a respective portion of the side 18 by a slit 26 and each tab 16 has a perforated or scored fold line 28 arranged diagonally therejon from the intersection of fold lines 22, 24 to the outward apex or edge of each tab.

At the box plant or manufacturing plant it is contemplated that each of the tabs 16 would receive any type of glue at the respective areas 30 to be glued to the corresponding portion on the respective side 18 to cause the box blank to assume the permanent condition and position shown in FIG. 2 and slightly exaggerated in FIG. 3. The exaggeration is caused by the puckering or bulging of the side of the ends 20 Which normally would be pushed flat when a plurality of such blanks were forced together in a stack or pile. In the condition of FIGS. 2 and 3 it is to be noted that now the respective ends 20 are permanently secured to the respective sides 18 at the outer triangular tab portions 32 of each of the tabs 16 leaving an unsecured tab portion 34 separated by the respective fold lines 28.

At the factory or box plant, the outer surfaces of the entire exposed surface 40 of each of the tabs 16 has been provided with any one of the well known self-sticking adhesives the characteristic of which that they dry to a normally dry coated feeling and a non-tacky surface that will adhere to itself or the same coating when the two are brought into pressure engagement with each other. One such adhesive is manufactured by the Manhattan Adhesives Corporation, 425 Green Point Avenue, Brooklyn 22, New York, known as XR-419 Extra Special Cement for Blister Packs being more commonly defined as a free flowing latex adhesive that is a dry film (translucent) and is not reemulsifiable. It may be diluted with water if necessary. Itmay be applied by hand, by a spray or a machine and also by a rubber roller. With the use .of this adhesive no special heat sealing equipment is necessary and it may be dryed by passing through a twenty to forty foot drying tunnel at F. and then may be stacked because the adhesive sticks only to itself.

After forming into the condition shown in FIG. 2, boxes 10 may be stacked in a vertical stack and pressed into a bundle or boxed for ship ing.

The boxes 10 may then be set-up for use by the consumer (at a laundry plant, shirt factory, etc.) by removing them one at a time from the stack, grasping the ends 20 between the thu mb and forefinger of each respective hand and lifting the ends 20 sufliciently to break along the fold line. Then the box 10 may be held in the hands and the fingers used to press the self-sticking adhesive on surfaces 40 together to complete the corners of the box and to seal the folded corner together causing the sides 18 andthe ends 20 to assume a permanent position substantially perpendicular to the bottom 14.

Or, if desired for use in connection with a machine 50 described hereinafter, the box 10 after opening in the manner described in the preceding paragraph but prior to the completion of the corners, may be shifted to place the sides 18 in each of a respective hand 38 for positioning on the machine 50 while maintaining the box partially open in the manner shown in FIG. 4 for positioning in the manner shown in FIG. 5. If preferred, depending upon the operator and the room arrangement and so forth, the box 10 may be positioned on the machine 50 from the hand-holding position having ends 20 in a respective hand in the manner described in the preceding paragraph.

When the coated surfaces 40 are brought firmly into engagement with themselves in the manner described and from the almost completed fold shown in FIG. 4, the adhesives will stick to themselves and the box is completedl as a three-dimensional, ready-to-use box.

Machine Starting in FIG. 5, there is shown a novel machine 50" which may be used in conjunction with the folding and. method described in FIGS. 1 through 4 to assist in and expedite both the accuracy and speed of the final folding of the box 10.

Machine 50 comprises, as readily seen in FIG. 8, a machine table or base 52 having ground support legs 54 and a rigid, steel upper deck or surface 56. Steel deck 56 is provided with two longitudinal adjusting slots 58.

Four identical and spaced jaw sets 60 are mounted each adjacent to and partially in a respective slot 58. Each jaw set 60 comprises a fixed inner jaw 62 and amovable outer jaw 64. It is to be noted that the normally fixed inner jaw 62 may be adjusted in the slot 58 to relocate same to adjust or compensate for any difficulties of alignment or change in position which may be present.

In all of the jaw sets 60 it is to be noted that the respective jaws 62 and movable jaws 64 are mounted on a respective holder 65 for movement transversely of the table 52 on a transverse bar 66 having slot 67 and butterfly adjustment screw 68. Bar 66 is fitted in the longitudinal slots 58 in table 52 on each of the outer longitudinal edges of the top 56. Each bar 66 is normally held fixedly in place by means of a respective adjustment screw 70 having butterfly adjustment nuts 72 thereon.

According to the previously described arrangement, one of the front and one of the rear jaw sets 60 may be moved transversely of the table top 56 in a slot 67 and each of the front or rear pairs of jaws may in turn also be adjusted together longitudinally as a unit by moving a respective bar 66 longitudinally of the table top 56 thereby bringing the pairs of jaw sets 60 closer together or farther apart as desired. This provides complete four-corner adjustment of the individual jaw sets 60 so that the jaw sets 60 may be adjusted in position to fit the size of any box and also to adjust for any movement which has taken place through use. In addition, the gap or distance between jaws 62, 64 may be adjusted by adjusting the position and travel of jaw 64.

Mounted on a stationary block 74 welded or otherwise secured with a respective movable jaw 64 is an electromagnetic or solenoid-controlled air valve piston and cylinder arrangement 76 comprising a cylindrical housing 78 having a movable piston 80 therein which is braced and aligned by rod members 82 and attached by screws 84 on top of a respective block 74. Piston and cylinder arrangement 76 is a well known and conventional apparatus which may be purchased at all industrial supply houses and each comprises a closed housing or cylindrical exterior having a cylindrical movable piston therein which is driven longitudinally and axially from housing 78 and which is aligned and held in place by means of stabilizing rods 82. Piston and cylinder arrangement 76 is suitably attached to a respective block 74 by means of an attachment bracket 84 and suitable screws, The position and travel of piston rod 80 is adjustable whereby jaw 64 can be re-located.

Each piston and cylinder arrangement 76 has an individual fluid or air line 86 leading thereto connected to the interior of the cylinder or housing 78 by means of a fitting 88.

Each piston and cylinder arrangement 76 has an individual electrical control cable 90 connected to a con ventional solenoid or electro-magnetic control device 91 forming a part of and attached with the piston and cylinder arrangement 76 being attached on the end of the housing 78 to regulate the valving or control of fluid flow into the interior of the housing 78. The operation of solenoid or electro-magnetic control devices is well known and conventional and does not per se form a part of this claimed invention except as part of the means for controlling same. Such solenoid devices 91 operate through the use of a magnetic field to move an armature (not shown) to move the internal valve (not shown) to allow fluid to flow or to prevent fluid from flowing, as desired in the system arrangement. In the present arrangement the solenoids 91 are controlled to permit the fluid to apply suddenly to the piston 80 so as to snap the respective jaws 64 on the fixed jaws 62 when the box is positioned in place.

Each of the cables 90 leads to and from a central electric connection or outlet box 92 in which in conventional manner the cables 90 are ganged or centrally connected and switched electrically to actuate simultaneously each of the respective electro-rnagnetic devices 91 thereby simultaneously operating all movable jaws 64. The central electric outlet box 92 receives ordinary house or industrial low voltage current through an entry cable 94 operated by an on-ofl switch 96 to place the system n operation. A central electric control member 98 is actuated simultaneously to operate all of the electromagnetic devices 91 and switch 98 may be foot-controlled, knee-controlled or hand-controlled as desired.

All of the air lines or fluid lines 86 lead to a common fluid pipe or conduit 100 in which there is located suitable fittings 102 to make the fluid pipe connections for the individual conduits 100 and also in which is located in conventional manner an air gauge or fluid gauge pressure indicator 104, a filter device 106 and a regulator or regulating device 108. The devices 102, 104, 106 and 108 are conventional apparatus which may be obtained through any local industrial supply house and may vary according to choice and do not per se form a part of this invention except as and in conjunction with the control mechanism for the present apparatus. One suitable air control piston and cylinder arrangement 76 is supplied by the Bellows Company under the name Valvair. Another may be obtained from Automatic Switch Co., Florham Park, New Jersey. These are only typical devices and do not by any means necessarily constitute the only suitable air piston and cylinder device 76 which may be utilized in the present system. The central conduit 100 receives air or fluid pressure from any house or industrial fluid system or air system or air compressor or pump arrangement (not shown) such being conventional construction.

Normally there is fluid pressure on all of the pistons set inside of the housing 78 which is prevented from operating by the electro-magnetic or solenoid controls 91. Therefore, sudden and rapid actuation will take place upon electrical operation of solenoids 91 through central control of the switch 98. When a box 10 is in position, a jaw 64 will snap suddenly against a respective fixed jaw 62 upon the operation electrically and manually of the central control 98.

In the operation of the device, the jaw sets 60 are positioned by their respective adjustment screws 70, 72 to be located according to the size of the box 10 to be sealed by the present arrangement. Once this adjustment is made for a particular size and depth of box it is anticipated that it will remain substantially fixed for a considerable number of boxes until it is necessary to make a minor adjustment to re-align or re-position the jaw sets 60 which may become slightly displaced due to the forces involved.

As seen in FIG. 5, the operator inverts the box from the position of FIG. 4 and inserts it with the open bottom so as to place the corners of the box 10 between the jaws 62, 64 and to place the outside of the sides 18 next to a movable jaw 64, and the previously unglued inside portion of the tabs 16 against the fixed jaw 62 thereby starting to fold and press the two portions of the self-sticking adhesive 40 to each other.

As seen readily in FIGS. 5 and 6, the box 10 is permitted to fall onto the fixed jaws 62 to drop to the position supported on the fixed jaws 62 in the manner shown in FIG. 7. At this time the operator actuates the central control 98 causing the movable jaws 64 to snap into position suddenly thereby tightly clamping the unfolded corners and the self-sticking adhesive to cause the corners and the corner tabs 16 to become firmly sealed.

While I have shown and described a particular box. method and machine, this is to enable one skilled in the art to practice same and is not to be construed as any sort of limitation on the scope of my box, method and machine since various changes, substitutions, deviations, alleviations, variations and alterations may be made in the box, method and machine shown and described without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method for forming an open box to be shipped in a substantially flat stack of similar boxes to be readily opened for use, comprising:

(a) forming a box blank with four corner tabs thereon,

(b) folding each of said corner tabs and a respective end of said box attached thereto upon a respective portion of an adjacent side and securing same thereto as by gluing while the blank is substantially flat,

(c) placing a self-sticking adhesive on the back of said tabs and allowing same to dry so that said box blank may be shipped in the partially assembled condition previously described,

(d) then upon final use of said box, removing a box from a stack of boxes and folding said tabs upon themselves about a fold line on said tab at least partially defined by the unglued portion of said tab to bring said ends of the boxes upwardly with respect to the bottom and the sides of said box upwardly with respect to the bottom thereby bringing said folded tabs into close, facing relationship,

(e) and thereafter pressing said self-sticking portions of said tab together to cause said tab to permanently adhere thereby creating the open-top box having upstanding sides and ends.

2. A method for forming an open box to be shipped in a substantially flat stack of similar boxes to be readily opened for use, comprising:

(a) forming a box blank with four corners unsecured thereon,

(b) slitting inwardly from the sides of said box to separate a side from respective corner,

(c) folding each of said slit corners and a respective end of said box attached thereto upon a respective portion of an adjacent side and securing same thereto as by gluing,

(d) placing a self-sticking adhesive on the back of said unsecured corners and allowing same to dry so that said box blank may be shipped in the partially assembled condition previously described,

(e) then upon final use of said box, folding said corners upon themselves about a fold line at least partially defined by the unglued portion thereof to bring said ends of the boxes upwardly with respect to the bottom and the sides of said box upwardly with respect to the bottom thereby bringing said folded tabs into close, facing relationship,

(f) and thereafter pressing said self-sticking portions of said tab together to cause said tab to permanently adhere thereby creating the open-top box having upstanding sides and ends.

3. A method for forming an open box to be shipped in a substantially flat stack of similar boxes to be readily opened for use, comprising:

(a) forming a box blank with four corner tabs thereon,

(b) slitting inwardly from the sides of said box to separate a respective corner tab therefrom,

(c) folding each of said corner tabs and a respective end of said box attached thereto upon a respective portion of an adjacent side and securing same thereto as by gluing,

(d) placing a self-sticking adhesive on the back of said tabs and allowing same to dry so that said box blank may be shipped in the partially assembled condition previously described,

(c) then upon final use of said box, removing a box from a stack of boxes and folding said tabs upon themselves about a fold line on said tab at least partially defined by the unglued portion of said tab to bring said ends of the boxes upwardly with respect to the bottom and the sides of said box upwardly with respect to the bottom thereby bringing said folded tabs into close, facing relationship,

(f) and thereafter pressing said self-sticking portions of said tab together to cause said tab to permanently adhere thereby creating the open-top box having upstanding sides and ends.

4. A box sealing machine, comprising:

(a) a machine base,

(b) clamping means on said base, there being one clamping means at each of four corners representing four corners of a box to be pressure sealed on said machine,

(c) control means for said clamping means,

(d) said clamping means each having an entrance thereto into which may be inserted the edge and corner of a box to be clamped thereby,

(e) all of said clamping means being operable by said control for substantial simultaneous operation whereby an open box may be inserted to position each of the four corners thereof into a respective one of the clamping means whereupon when said clamping means are-operated the four corners of the box are pressure clamped therein to seal said box corners.

5. A "box sealing machine, comprising:

(a) a machine base,

(b) fluid supply means on said base,

(c) control means for said fluid supply means in (b),

((1) four pairs of jaw-sets on said machine,

(e) each of said jaw-sets comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw,

(f) fluid control means for moving said movable jaw,

(g) said jaw sets being positioned on said table in spaced relation each representing the corner of a box to be sealed thereon,

(h) said movable jaw of each of said jaw sets normally being spaced from said fixed jaw a distance sufficient to insert the thickness of a box therein to be, sealed,

(i) an electrical control means for operating said fluid means to close said movable jaw,

(j) all of said fluid control means and said electrical control means (i) being arranged for simultaneous operation of said movable jaws whereby,

(k) anopen box maybe inserted with each of the corners over one of the fixed jaws and with an unglued portion between said fixed jaw and a movable jaw so that upon simultaneous operation of all of said movable jaws said unsealed portion of a box may be pressure sealed.

.6. A box sealing machine, comprising:

(a) a machine base,

(b) fluid supply means on said base,

(c) control means for said fluid supply means in (b),

(d) four pairs of jaw-sets on said machine,

(e) each of said jaw-sets comprising a fixed .jaw and a movable jaw,

(f) fluid control means for moving said movable jaw,

(g) said jaw sets being positioned on said table in spaced relation each representing the corner of a box to be sealed thereon,

(h) means on said table by which a front pair of said jaw-sets may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly with respect to each other to bring said jaw sets closer together or farther apart,

(i) means on the rear of said tables by which said rear pair of jaw-sets may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly with respect to each other to bring said jaws closer together or farther apart,

(j) said movable .jaw of each of said jaw sets normally being spaced from said fixed jaw a distance sufiicient to insert the thickness of a box therein to be sealed,

(k) an electrical control means for operating said fluid means to close said movable jaw,

(1) all of said fluid control means and said electrical control means being arranged for simultaneous operation of said movable jaws whereby,

(m) an open box may be inserted with each of the corners over one of the fixed jaws and with an unglued portion between said fixed jaw and a movable jaw so that upon simultaneous operation of all of said movable jaws said unsealed portion of a box may be pressure sealed.

7. A box sealing machine, comprising:

(a) a machine base,

(b) fluid supply means onsaid base,

(c) control means for said fluid supply means in (b),

((1) four pairs of jaw-sets on said machine,

(e) each of said jaw-sets comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw,

(f) fluid control means for moving said movable jaw,

(g) said jaw sets being positioned on said table in spaced relation each representing the corner of a box to be sealed thereon,

(h) transverse slots on said table in which a front pair of said jaw-sets are mounted whereby said jaws may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly with respect to each other to bring said jaw-sets closer together or farther apart,

(i) transverse slots on the rear of said tables in which rear pair of jaw-sets are mounted whereby said jawsets may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly with respect to each other to bring said jaws closer together or farther apart,

(j) said movable jaw of each of said jaw-sets normally being spaced from said fixed jaw a distance sufiicient to insert the thickness of a box therein to be sealed,

(k) a solenoid control means for operating said fluid means to close said movable jaw,

(1) all of said fluid control means and said solenoid control means being arranged for simultaneous operation of said movable jaws whereby,

(m) an open box may be inserted with each of the corners over one of the fixed jaws and with an unglued portion between said fixed jaw and a movable jaw so that upon simultaneous operation of all of said movable jaws said unsealed portion of a box may be pressure sealed.

8. A box sealing machine, comprising:

(a) a machine base,

(b) clamping means on said base, there being one clamping means at each of four corners representing four corners of a box to be pressure sealed on said machine,

(c) control means for said clamping means,

(d) each of said clamping means including a stationary member and a movable member and each having an entrance thereto into which may be inserted the edge and corner of a box to be clamped thereby,

(c) all of said clamping means being operable by said control for substantial simultaneous operation whereby an open box with unsealed corners may the inserted to position each of the corners thereof into a respective one of the clamping means whereupon when said clamping means are operated the four corners of the box are pressure clamped therein to seal said box corners.

9. The device in claim 8 wherein said movable member on each of said clamping means in (d) is actuated by a piston,

(b) clamping means on said base, there being one clamping means at each of four corners representing four corners of a box to be pressure sealed on said machine,

(c) control means for said clamping means,

(d) said clamping means each having an entrance thereto into which may be inserted the edge and corner of a box to be clamped thereby,

(e) all of said clamping means being operable by said control for substantial simultaneous operation whereby an open box may be inserted to position each of the four corners thereof into a respective one of the clamping means whereupon when said clamping means are operated the four corners of the box are pressure clamped therein to seal said box corners,

(f) and means on said machine base for adjusting said clamping means in (b) both longitudinally and trans versely, whereby said spacing may be adjusted with respect to the four corners of a box.

11. The device in claim 10 wherein said adjusting means includes a transverse seat in which at least two of the clamping means are adjustable in said slot with respect to a respective other clamping means; and a longitudinal slot in which at least one pair of said clamping means are adjustable with respect to the other pair.

12. A box sealing machine, comprising:

(a) a machine base,

(b) clamping means on said base, there being one clamping means at each of four corners representing four corners of a box to be pressure sealed on said machine,

(c) control means for said clamping means,

(d) said clamping means each including a stationary member and a movable member and having an entrance thereto into which may be inserted the edge and corner of a box to be clamped thereby,

(e) all of said clamping means being operable by said control for substantial simultaneous Operation whereby an open box may be inserted to position each of the four corners thereof into a respective one of the clamping means whereupon when said clamping means are operated the four corners of the box are pressure clamped therein to seal said box corners,

(f) said stationary members in (d) each being on upstanding, fixedly mounted member adapted to have the box inserted thereover at the four corners thereof and each being high enough above said base to receive the box with the bottom resting on the top of said stationary members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

BERNARD STICKNEY, Examiner. 

4. A BOX SEALING MACHINE, COMPRISING: (A) A MACHINE BASE, (B) CLAMPING MEANS ON SAID BASE, THERE BEING ONE CLAMPING MEANS AT EACH OF FOUR CORNERS REPRESENTING FOUR CORNERS OF A BOX TO BE PRESSURE SEALED ON SAID MACHINE, (C) CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID CLAMPING MEANS, (D) SAID CLAMPING MEANS EACH HAVING AN ENTRANCE THERETO INTO WHICH MAY BE INSERTED THE EDGE AND CORNER OF A BOX TO BE CLAMPED THEREBY, (E) ALL OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS BEING OPERABLE BY SAID CONTROL FOR SUBSTANTIAL SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION WHEREBY AN OPEN BOX MAY BE INSERTED TO POSITION EACH OF THE FOUR CORNERS THEREOF INTO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF THE CLAMPING MEANS WHEREUPON WHEN SAID CLAMPING MEANS ARE OPERATED THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE BOX ARE PRESSURE CLAMPED THEREIN TO SEAL SAID BOX CORNERS. 